Project Rainbow
by blackkitty479
Summary: The war had stopped them from seeing each other the previous three years. But when a dangerous experiment brings them together, will they be able to handle their feelings and prevent a catastrophy at the same time? Time-travelling fic set in 1942.
1. An Unexpected Coworker

**Well, this fic is my first time-travelling one, and it needs some explanations, so please don't skip the following:**

**You all probably heard about the Philadelphia Experiment, a.k.a. "Project Rainbow", an experiment of the US Navy in 1943. For those of you that don't know about it, the purpose of this experiment was to make a ship invisible, using Einstein's "Unified Field Theory". However, I've read a book written by Brad Steiger, which has an interview with Alfred Bielek, someone who supposedly took part in the experiment. Bielek claims that Nikola Tesla has been working for the US government since the end of the 1930s. Apparently, Nikola and the other scientists working at this project managed to make a mine layer turn invisible in September 1940. However, nobody was aboard the mine layer when this happened. **

**After the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941, the government decided to repeat this experiment in March 1942, this time with men aboard the ship they wanted to make invisible. Tesla protested, claiming that the effects of this experiment on humans were completely unknown, and he asked for more time. However, the Americans said that their country was at war and that there was no time to lose…**

* * *

It was almost 10 PM and Nikola Tesla was pacing the corridors of the White House, wondering why Mr. Roosevelt had called him at such an unusual hour. It most certainly had something to do with the war going on, given the fact that only three weeks earlier, the German U-boat offensive came closer to the US shores.

Nikola didn't understand nor like war. He wasn't worrying for himself, because being immortal meant that he would be safe no matter what, but there was someone who was in danger, someone that meant very much to him. He hadn't heard nothing of her since the war had begun, because she was working so high in the Ally Forces that she wasn't allowed to contact him. She was probably facing life threatening situations every day and he wasn't there to protect her. Not that she would have wanted to be protected. No. That wasn't her. She was the most stubborn person he had ever known. But there was something about her, something that had made him fall in love with her at first sight. Where was she now? James didn't know more than he did, and Nigel…Well, things hadn't worked so smoothly between him and Nigel since The Five had separated.

"The President can see you now, Mr. Tesla." Roosevelt's secretary said, interrupting his thoughts.

He followed the secretary into the library. Roosevelt, which waited him there, was reading a book, but immediately stopped when he saw Nikola.

"I'm so happy you could come. We need your help, Nikola."

"What happened?"

"Sit down. Have a glass of wine. We need to talk."

Nikola poured himself a glass of wine and, when the secretary left, Roosevelt said:

"I don't think I have to remind you that our discussion is strictly classified. We have to talk about Project Rainbow."

"What happened? Things went well two years ago, but you haven't said a word since."

"Because what happened two years ago is completely useless. I don't want to offend you, Nikola, but making a mine layer turn invisible is completely useless when it comes to war."

"What are you trying to say?"

"We have to extend our experiment. We need it now more than ever to work on humans too."

"You mean make a crewed ship invisible? That's impossible."

"Nikola, you are a vampire. Don't tell me that you still believe that there are things that are impossible."

"That has absolutely nothing to do with what I am, Mr. President. The effects of this experiment on humans are completely unknown. We may make some tests; start with little animals, such as rats, and maybe in a few years' time we will be able to do it on humans too, but that's all I can give you."

"I don't have a few years, Nikola! The press is on my trail every single minute. After what happened at Pearl Harbor, we have to show the world who we really are. Show them that nobody attacks America without being destroyed. And Project Rainbow is the best choice that we have. Imagine an invisible fleet attacking Germany or Japan! We would be practically invincible!"

"It is too dangerous. I could try to design a wireless system of controlling ships without men aboard, but this is all I can do."

"Nikola, it's everything or nothing here. You have to understand that I have no other choice. We have to finish this project, and we have to finish it fast. Otherwise, we won't be able to defend ourselves anymore. We need a unique advantage in this war and Project Rainbow is our single hope."

"With all due respect, Mr. Roosevelt, but I don't think you understand the possible consequences of this experiment. We are talking about a massive amount of electricity. I don't know if humans are capable of withstanding such voltage. Not to mention that if we keep them invisible for too long, this could affect their health on an indefinite time period."

"Why?"

"Because my method of making somebody invisible is based on transporting them into the fourth dimension. And frankly, I have no idea of what could happen to a human if he stays there for too long. I was transported myself into this dimension, and if it hadn't been for my assistant to cut the power and set me free, I don't know what might have happened. And keep in mind that my physiology is special. I don't think that a human could resist such travel."

"I have faith in you, Nikola. Besides, I need you. No one else can control the Zero Time Reference Generator. Not to mention that the amount of electricity that you can create is astonishing."

"I still don't like the idea. However, if you find me someone that can guarantee that nothing will happen to the men aboard if we do that, I might reconsider. But only then. "

"I already did that, Nikola. I know someone that can help us, medically speaking. You will work together."

"I can't trust anyone, Mr. Roosevelt. You know how complicated my condition is. Faking my age so the press thinks I am a pitiful old man is enough trouble for me. I don't want to imagine what would mean to work with a human, to have to hide myself at every turn… You know as well as I do that this would work much faster if I could use my electric powers and working with anyone else would mean that I can't use them."

"You don't need to worry, Nikola. The person I want you to work with is an old family friend. Someone who has been working for the Allies since the war begun. As a matter of fact, my cousin Teddy was the one that introduced her to me."

"Yes, but still, I am more of a one man show. Maybe I could make some tests, send the results to your friend, and if everything goes well…"

"That is completely out of the question. She will take part to this experiment and so will you. You two will share the command of this experiment. I need you both to make sure that Project Rainbow will have the results that we want."

"I'm sorry, but I don't know if I can trust this friend of yours."

"Well, she was supposed to meet me tonight. You will meet her too and trust me: you will have confidence in her."

"I'll give him a shot, for your sake. Wait a minute. Did you just say she?!"

"Yes. She is a woman. I don't know why the hell she is late. British people are normally very punctual."

"British?" Nikola said, coughing on wine. "Mr. Roosevelt, you don't say…"

The door creaked open, revealing the woman Nikola had been hoping to see for almost three years now.

"Well, Nikola, it has been a while." Helen said, entering the room.


	2. Physics and Hidden Feelings

**Well, this is my second chapter… I'm sorry it took me so long to update it, but my real life has prevented me from uploading it any sooner. I honestly don't know how long this fic will be, but there will be at least two more chapters. I hope you will enjoy it!**

**P.S.: Thank you for your wonderful reviews!**

* * *

The next morning, when she entered the secret military base in Philadelphia where Mr. Roosevelt had sent her and Nikola, Helen was a little anxious. She liked the idea of working with Nikola, because it brought back some beautiful memories from the time they had been part of The Five, but it also made her concern about what will happen during the experiment. It involved an extremely powerful electromagnetic field and she was unsure if Nikola had the ability to resist such force. Not to mention the effect it could have had on normal humans…That was why, when Mr. Roosevelt had told her about the project, she had refused at first to take part to it. But when she found out that Nikola will be participating too, something made her almost shout "yes". And it would have been a lie to claim that she had accepted only to make sure that everything will be alright, medically speaking. No. She had accepted because it gave her the opportunity to work with him.

"Over here, Miss Magnus. Dr Tesla is waiting you." A man said, showing her the way. He brought her to a laboratory and then he left saying "I will leave you now. Mr. Tesla gave specific instructions not to be disturbed by anyone but you."

She entered, and her stomach made a flip when she saw Nikola. Unlike the previous night, when he hadn't had the time to clean his make-up that helped him fake his age, he was looking as young and as handsome Helen knew him. He was wearing a long, white lab coat, and Helen couldn't help noticing how damned sexy he looked dressed like that. Trying to hide her feelings, she said:

"Nikola, what the hell were you thinking?! Not wearing your make-up is completely reckless! What if someone else sees you looking like that?"

"Come on, Helen, I gave specific instructions not to be disturbed. I came here wearing it; I cleaned myself only when I got in the lab. I took all the precautions, trust me."

"Anyway, it is safer to keep it on."

"And not let you enjoy my charming presence? I don't think so. Unless the real reason you want me to fake my age in your presence is that you are afraid that you won't be able to focus otherwise on your work…"

"It's not that."

"Well, you do like staring at me, we both know that." He said with an enormous grin.

"Nonsense."

"Is that why your blood pressure has been 1.2 times higher than normal since you saw me?"

"Nikola, my blood pressure is perfectly normal, I assure you of that. Now, can we please start working?"

"No. Not yet. I need to make sure."

In less than a second, he covered the distance between them and embraced her from the behind. She tried to release herself from his grip, but she was unsuccessful, maybe because a very big part of her enjoyed this moment between them. Still holding her, he pressed his lips right on her pulse point, making her gasp. He stood like that for a few seconds, carefully listening to her heart beats, which were definitely a lot faster than normal. Fighting with herself, she managed to slip from his soft but firm grip, and threw him an angry look.

"Oddly enough, I was wrong." He said grinning. "Your blood pressure is at least 1.4 times higher than normal. And it increased considerably when I embraced you."

"Don't take it personally, but I don't like a vampire this close to my throat. That's why I got a little tense."

"I am still taking my medication and you know that, Helen. The good part of being a vampire is that I can hear your blood rushing through your veins. I know when someone is lying to me, Helen."

"Now can we please get to work?"

"Fine. I suppose Roosevelt told you about the experiment in 1940. I managed to make a mine layer invisible back then. The thing is that doing the same things on humans is a lot more complicated. The first problem is that I don't know what effects invisibility could have on normal humans. I mean, we both know that at first Nigel didn't enjoy it too much."

"And he had abnormal blood in his veins."

"Exactly. However, this is the least concerning fact. I don't plan modifying their DNA in order to make them invisible."

"How do you want to do it, then?"

"We will need to work on living tissue to see how this works at first, but I was planning exposing them to a strong electromagnetic field. Theoretically speaking, and I stress theoretically, this will push matter out of phase with normal reality, making them invisible and intangible. This worked well on the mine layer, but I don't know how it will work on humans."

"So you are basically shifting the men aboard to an alternate universe?"

"An alternate dimension. And I am not only shifting the men to that dimension. The ship has to be shifted too."

"Because if the men are out of phase with it, they wouldn't be able to control it, right? They can't control anything which is "in phase". They can't even touch it."

"Hot and intelligent. That's my type of girl."

"Well, physics is not exactly my strong point, but you can learn a lot of things during a tennis match with Albert."

"I suppose so. Of course, the problem will be getting them back into our dimension, because they can't stay there for too long. They wouldn't be able to eat or drink. I will have to adapt my invention to work on humans. And there is also the problem of the Zero Time Reference Generator."

"What is that, exactly?"

"It is one of my inventions. You see, Helen, you can't do this type of experiment anytime you want. Each living being on Earth has its own biorhythm. Before you start the actual experiment, you need to connect the subjects to the Zero Time of the Universe, and this is what my machine does. Doing this on one rat is not so complicated, but on one hundred humans… I don't know what to say."

"So, you have to choose the right time for doing anything, right?"

"Not exactly. Only teleporting and invisibility experiments. You can do other things anytime you want. For example, physically speaking, it is also the perfect time for you and me to kiss."

"Do you behave like that with all of your colleagues?"

"As a matter of fact, I am more of a one man show." He said grinning.

He got closer to her, holding his lips only inches away from her ear and whispered: "However, working with you really makes me enjoy teamwork." She tried to focus on her files and not to watch him in the eyes, but his breath tickling her neck made this an impossible task. She was perfectly aware of the fact that letting her feelings take the lead was a very big mistake, but it was very difficult to resist him. Just before he would have pressed his lips on her neck again, someone knocked at the door.

"I'm sorry for disturbing you, Dr. Tesla, but Dr. Kurtenauer requested to see you and Miss Magnus right away."

"Tell him we will come in five minutes." Nikola said sighing. "Well, Helen, I guess that having too many colleagues is a bad idea after all."


	3. The Third Wheel

** I finally managed to update a new chapter!!! Yes!! Well, this chapter implies some changes in history- Kurtenauer didn't have such an important role in the 1942 experiment from what I know, but I decided to give him a bigger part. And to make him a complete imbecile:D. I probably won't be able to upload a new chapter in the next two weeks, because my school life is very busy at the moment, but I promise that it will be worth waiting.**

** As usually, thank you for all your great reviews!**

* * *

Before going to meet Kurtenauer, Nikola had put his make up again, which only gave Helen the opportunity to notice that he hadn't been right-even if he looked old and pitiful, she knew the truth damn well, so it didn't help her focus too much.

When Helen and Nikola got in Kurtenauer's office, he was already there, waiting for them. He was a tall, young man, probably in his mid 30s. His eyes were of an unnatural intense green and he had blonde hair.

"So, Emil, we meet again." Nikola said.

"It's been a long time, Nikola. A very long time. And I heard a lot of things about you in these last two years."

"What do you mean?" Nikola asked coldly.

"You don't need to get angry, Nikola. I don't trust you more than you trust me. Mr. Roosevelt told me what you really are."

"I don't know what you mean."

"You know damn well, Nikola. And I have to warn you. If you get the stupid idea of feeding on me, I have garlic."

"I suppose Frank forgot to mention that I don't feed on humans, didn't he?"

"He did mention it actually. But I refuse to believe that you can be changed so much."

"Well, I am an obedient patient. I am taking my medication daily, so my hunger won't be a problem. The doctor who prescribed it to me is a very talented one. Not to mention she's smoking hot." He said, throwing a sneaky glance at Helen.

"Well, she must be the craziest doctor I ever heard of. A woman, working in this kind of field, treating a vampire…She is certainly nuts. But this is not my business. Who is this charming lady over here?"

"I am Dr. Helen Magnus. The crazy doctor." She said, trying not to laugh.

"You mean Nikola's doctor? Oh my. I'm so sorry. I didn't realize that he is your patient."

"Don't worry. I often hear this kind of things from the ones that don't know me."

"So, you are a doctor in what exactly?"

"Teratology, xenobiology and cryptozoology. Although I am here only to make sure that everything will be alright, medically speaking, if we decide that we need to carry on the experiment on humans."

"We could certainly use your help. I am confident that I will manage to modify the experiment in order to make it work on humans."

"If we decide this is possible, and by that I mean me and Helen, I will modify the experiment, and I will make it happen, Emil. I doubt you can handle it all by yourself. As far as I'm concerned, you are the experiment's disposable item."

"Nikola! Why are you being so rude?" Helen asked.

"I am not rude, Helen. I just want to stress the fact that you and I are conducting this experiment. Emil will only help us."

"You know something, Nikola? Why don't you go in Transylvania and try to be the boss over there? Maybe they'll listen to you, because I will most certainly not." Kurtenauer said coldly.

"Don't you dare remind me about that alcoholic Irish hack and his idiot book! It's beyond insulting."

"Gentlemen, we are here for a reason. Mr. Roosevelt needs all three of us. We need to work together. We have the same goal. Alright?"

"If you say so…" Nikola muttered. "I will try to play nicely. But only for your sake."

"Thank you." She said smiling. "And you, Dr. Kurtenauer? Can you work with me and Nikola or do you have a problem with the fact that he is half vampire?"

"Well, it will be a pleasure working with you. Although it is odd that someone as beautiful as you accepts to work under these conditions. However, I will enjoy your help in this experiment."

"She is _my_ colleague, Emil." Nikola said coldly. "She is going to help _me_ run the tests on animals. You can call her to help you if you want, but I don't know why you would need her. I mean, you will handle the theoretical part of this experiment, not the practical one."

"You don't need to get mad, Nikola. Mr. Roosevelt clearly specified that both of you will help me when I need it. We are colleagues, we help each other. And that includes her."

"Fine." Nikola said, obviously not enjoying the situation. "How can we help you?"

"Well, I don't need anything at the moment. But I'll call for you if I will."

"Well, Dr. Kurtenauer, it was a pleasure to meet you." Helen said. "I hope I'll see you soon."

"The pleasure is all mine, Miss Magnus." Dr. Kurtenauer said, kissing her hand, which made Nikola's eyes darken.

As soon as Helen and Nikola got back in his laboratory, Helen said:

"What was that all about?"

"I don't know what you mean." Nikola said, cleaning his makeup.

"You looked like you were going to slice Dr. Kurtenauer when you saw him."

"Well, I don't like him. Nor do I trust him. I think Roosevelt made a very big mistake when he told him the truth about me."

"Well, he seems a nice guy."

"He is a complete idiot."

"Don't be silly."

"I am not silly, Helen. I mean it. You have to stay away from this guy. I worked with him last time, in 1940 and there is something strange about him. He looked too excited about this experiment. He has been thinking that we could do it on humans from the moment it worked on that mine layer. He is a physician, he should know the consequences. He just didn't seem to care."

"Well, he is young, Nikola. We are all impulsive when we are young. Unlike you, I haven't forgotten that."

"I know that, Helen. But still, there is something I don't like about him."

"Well, he seems a very polite young man."

"Polite? Helen, he looked like he was mentally undressing you. Not that I don't do that from time to time, but…"

"So this is what it's all about, right? You are jealous."

"Let's start the experiments. I brought some rats; we can try it first on them. "

"Do not avoid my question, Nikola. Are you jealous on him?"

"Why do you care?" he asked grinning.

_Not that smile again._ She thought, because every time she saw the little dimple he made in his left cheek when smiling, the dimple that seemed so kissable it was a miracle that she had been able to resist him for so long, some very creative images ran through her mind. Every time she saw him smiling, she had to fight hard with herself to resist the temptation of kissing him. And each time this battle was more difficult to win than the previous time. He was right: she had absolutely no reasons to ask him that question. They were just friends, or at least that was what she had been trying to pretend in the last 50 years.

"It's just curiosity." Helen said, completely aware of the fact that he will know that she was lying to him.

He scoffed silently and got closer to her, holding his lips inches away from her ear. "It's so obvious that you love me, Helen. Why don't you just admit it?" He whispered.

She backed off, refusing to look in those incredibly blue eyes. "So, where are those rats you want to experiment on?" she asked.


	4. Experimenting Love

**Happily, I was able to get some time off and write another chapter! I hope you'll like it! As usual, thank you for all your great reviews! **

* * *

Helen was in the laboratory, watching Nikola as he flooded the rats' cage with electricity and she couldn't help being a little worried. He seemed to be in control, but there were so many things that could have gone wrong.

"You know, Helen, you don't have to be here." he said, making a short pause. "It can be dangerous. You can wait outside and come afterwards to see what happened to them. Anyway, it's not working. I've been trying to shift them out of phase for two hours."

She could see the sadness in his eyes. Deep down, she felt sorry for him, because she knew how important it was for him to prove that he is the best. He was a perfectionist and she knew that failure was not an option for him. It seemed that he always tried to prove her how good he was, although that was completely unnecessary, because she would have cared for him no matter what.

"Is there something I can do to help you?" she asked in a small voice, placing her hand on one of his shoulders.

His grin widened as he heard this words. "The real question, Helen, is what _you would_ do to make me feel better."

"What I meant was if you need any help with the biological part."

He scoffed silently. "I guess kissing me is completely out of the question, isn't it?"

To be completely honest, she had thought at this possibility. It would have been a very easy way to make him happy, not to mention a very pleasant one. But she just had to ignore the idea.

"No offense, Nikola, but I am better at Biology than you are. If you need my help, I am right here."

"Helen, I know some things about Biology too. I am a genius after all, remember?"

"Like…"

"Like the fact that your lips are 100 times more sensible than the tips of your fingers. And that a kiss quickens your pulse to 100 beats in a minute. Not to mention that the human tongue is covered with four types of papillae. Of these four types, filiform papillae cover the whole tongue. Irony is that they aren't involved in gustation. Instead, they are mechanical." He turned his face to her, so that their lips were now millimeters far from each other. "Just imagine what effect a little electricity could have on them." He whispered, throwing her a smirk.

"You are simply incorrigible." She said scoffing. "I thought you were only interested in Physics."

"Well, I was. But when working with such a sexy biologist, you simply have to adapt."

"So, why isn't your device working?"

"It was made to shift matter out of phase, but it doesn't work on living tissue."

"Maybe there is some variable you didn't take into account."

"Like what?"

"Well, every living being has its own magnetic field. Of course, it is very weak, but interfering with it is not easy."

"So you are saying that we need to…"

"Change the polarity? I don't know, you are the physician here."

"Change the polarity and increase the intensity of the electromagnetic field. You could be on to something here."

Nikola closed his eyes, concentrating harder and flooded the rats' cage with electricity again. This time, however, he seemed to lose control, because one of the light bulbs exploded, leaving the laboratory in darkness.

"Oops." He said. "That shouldn't have happened."

"Well, do something about it."

"You know, I've often wondered what this moment would be like. Me and you, alone in the dark…"

"Nikola…" she said with a tone of anger in her voice.

He covered the distance between them in less than a second and took her in his arms.

"You know, this is definitely making me feel better." He said and even if she couldn't see him, she could feel the happiness in his voice.

"Nikola, being alone in the dark with a vampire is not exactly one of my dreams if you know what I mean."

His teeth touched her neck, not as a vampire would have, but in a way equally tantalizing. "Don't worry, Helen, I can control myself."

"Anyway, you are too attracted to my neck for your own good."

"It's not my fault that you have the most kissable neck in the world."

She gasped as his lips explored her neck, slowly climbing to her ear. "Focus, Nikola." She urged, in a voice so small that her heart beats almost covered it.

"We have been _focusing_ for almost 60 years now, Helen_. _And based on the fact that you are blushing, I would say that I am not the only one around here who needs to focus."

_Damn his vampiric senses._ She thought, completely aware of the fact that he was right. It was so unfair that he could see her in the dark.

"Would you _please _let me go?" she said a part of her praying that he would refuse.

"Watch me in the eyes and tell me you really want me to do that."

She turned her face to him, bringing her lips dangerously close to his. Given this fact, lying him was almost impossible.

"You made the light bulb explode on purpose, didn't you?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

"Genius, remember?" He said, smiling devilishly.

The light went on again, and Kurtenauer entered the laboratory, stopping Helen from saying anything.

"What the hell happened here?" he asked. "The whole facility went out of power. We had to use the spare generator to get our machines working."

"Our experiments got a little out of control, I'm afraid." Nikola said, unhappy that they had been interrupted.

"I can see that." Emil muttered at the sight of Nikola still holding Helen in his arms. "I prefer not to think what you were experimenting _with._"

"It's not what it seems, Dr. Kurtenauer." Helen said, releasing from Nikola's grip.

"I hope that monster didn't hurt you."

"Firstly, Emil, if you call me a monster again, it will be the last thing you will do in your mortal life. Secondly, I have absolutely no reason to do her any harm. But you…I find more reasons by the second. "

"I can assure you, Dr. Kurtenauer, nothing happened."

"Because my arrival saved you."

"Frankly, I didn't need to be saved. I was completely in control of the situation._" Except the fact I almost kissed him._ She thought.

"Are you saying that he didn't want to feed on you?"

"Of course not, Emil. Although I've often wondered what her lips taste like."

"So you two are…"

"Together? Not exactly. But we're working on it." Nikola said.

"No, Dr. Kurtenauer. We are just colleagues."

"How are the experiments going?"

"They are not working well, I'm afraid. Clearly, Helen's idea didn't work. She suggested changing the polarity, but it had no effect." Nikola said, pointing at the still visible rats.

"I know what went wrong, Nikola. We didn't take the DNA into account."

"What do you mean?" Kurtenauer asked.

"Based on what Nikola told me, the invisibility device disintegrates matter and reintegrates it into another dimension, right?

"Yes. So?"

"Well, disintegrating something basically means transforming it into energy. You can't normally do that on living tissue. DNA naturally prevents this from happening."

"So there is no way?"

"Well, if we could create artificial DNA and then connect it to the rats' DNA…"

"Miss Magnus, we would have to know exactly which chromosomes prevent them from disintegrating. We are talking about years of research here. Not to mention that we don't have the technology to do such thing."

"We have the technology, Dr. Kurtenauer. I can set a working unit for this task in a day or so."

"We still don't know which chromosomes to change."

"Chromosomes 9, 11 and 15." She said after a short pause.

"You can't possibly know that."

"You know, Emil, if there is one thing she doesn't know, it's the meaning of the word _impossible_." Nikola said smiling. "It's one of the things I love about her."


	5. Deja Vu  With A Twist

**I'm sorry for this taking so long, but my teachers weren't as cooperative I thought they would...Anyway, I think there will be like four more chapters, because this is taking a lot more to finish then I initially expected...Anyway, hope you'll like it!**

* * *

"So, are you willing to share how come you know all this stuff about chromosomes?" Kurtenauer asked, still surprised.

"It's a long story. I will tell you only what I think you need to know. Nikola, my diary is in my bag. Could you please bring it to me?" She asked, pointing at her bag which was lying on the table.

He went and took her diary, but couldn't resist throwing a sneaky glance inside. As he flipped the pages, his grin widened.

"I asked you to bring me the diary, not to read it, Nikola." Helen said, obviously annoyed.

"Well, it was a one life chance to see what you think."

"As if you could find out so much from a simple diary. Anyway, it's mostly about my work at the Sanctuary. This kind of stuff usually bores you."

"Care to explain this, Miss Magnus?" he asked, holding a piece of paper between his fingers. It seemed to be an article cut up from an old newspaper.

She approached him to see what he had discovered, and her stomach made a flip when she saw the title of the newspaper: _Collier's_. "This is exactly why diaries are personal." She said, snatching the incriminatory piece of paper from his hand.

"You know, it's funny." He said, still grinning. "You keep a copy of an interview I gave over ten years ago in your diary."

"Well, it's one of my favorite interviews."

"_When woman is boss._ Yes, I completely understand why you like it. After all, I gave that interview thinking at you. However, it still is interesting that you keep this in your diary. I mean, it's not like it is something important for your work."

"Don't be silly. I like keeping memories of all of my old colleagues."

"In your personal diary?"

"It's not your business."

"May I ask how long have you been keeping this diary?" Kurtenauer asked, interrupting them. "It seems very old."

"I started writing in 1885."

"That's impossible."

"Why is that? You don't think I know how to write?"

"It's not that. But this would mean that you are over…"

"I am 92 years old, Dr. Kurtenauer." She said coldly.

"Does Mr. Roosevelt know that?"

"Of course he does, you dummy. She is an old friend of Teddy's."

"So you are even older than he is?"

"Ironic, I know. But age doesn't count that much when there is love."

"Nikola, could you please focus on what we are doing? Anyway, my age is of little importance. You asked how come I know all these things about teleporting."

"I don't think I want to know the answer anymore. Don't tell me that you can teleport or something like that."

"Let's just say I knew someone who was able to do this. And I had the chance of studying his DNA. He was a teleporter and he disintegrated his body when teleporting. That's how I know."

"I bet he was an interesting man."

"I wouldn't exactly say that." Nikola said coldly. "He was a murderer. Nothing more. Too bad someone killed him before I did. If I get to see him again, I swear…" He made a pause to think at the worst treatment he would have offered to John, but stopped when he saw her teary eyes. "I am sorry, Helen." He said. "You know I was never able to stand him."

She smiled sadly. "You didn't get along well with any of the Five, but your feelings towards John have always amazed me."

"I didn't like them, Helen, and you know that. You were the only one I enjoyed working with."

"I envy you, Nikola. You have been working with a woman so beautiful for such a long time."

"Thank you, Dr. Kurtenauer." Helen said, smiling.

"Do you still want to hear what she has to say, Emil, or do I have to watch you hitting on her?" Nikola asked looking as if he wanted to slice him.

"I am all ears."

"Well, I was planning on making a serum with artificial DNA and inject it into the rats' system. Then Nikola can try his device on them again. If everything works as planned, it should stop their bodies from preventing the disintegration."

"You still don't know how to create artificial DNA."

"I don't need to. I am planning on using Nikola's blood. I did some research and I know where the code for what we need lies. I think I will be able to isolate the exact chromosomes."

"Wait a minute. Do I have to remind you what happened last time when you transplanted your blood to someone else?"

"I don't think it was because of that. Mixing Source Blood from two sources is dangerous, but they will only have it from one source, so…"

"From what I know, the Blood activates mutant genes in your body. How does this help you make somebody teleport?"

"Not teleport, Nikola, disintegrate. There is a difference here. Many vampires were capable of teleporting. The Source Blood has in it a genetic code that helps disintegrating. "

"Hence those stupid myths of travelling in form of mist and so. However, your blood could do too. Why do you want to use my blood?"

"Let's call it a safety precaution. I still don't know why John went crazy. Your blood is safer."

"Miss Magnus, I'm not a doctor, so I don't get you. Is it going to work?"

"There is a 99% chance, Dr. Kurtenauer."

"This is the best news I could get from you. You are everything a man can want."

"I thought you were going somewhere, Emil?" Nikola said, the look on his face showing anger.

"I was." Kurtenauer said, leaving before Nikola could do anything.

"Right when I thought he is not able of annoying me any more than h usually does, he starts hitting on you."

"What is your problem, Nikola?" Helen asked. "I don't feel anything for him."

"Good."

"You really have a problem with the fact that somebody is attracted to me, don't you?"

"It's not that. He has every right to be attracted to you."

"Nikola, do you really think is the time for this?"

"Let me finish, Helen. What bothers me is that this gives me a déjà vu feeling if you know what I mean."

"I don't."

"You said you don't know why I couldn't stand John. It was because he was the one that stole you from me. Do you know how it feels like, loving somebody so much that you would give your life for her and then losing her for what seemed forever?"

"Nikola, I had no idea that you saw me as more than a colleague. I thought John was the only one that saw me as a woman and not only as a coworker. That's why I got engaged to him. But I guess I wasn't able to see his true nature. I was so heart broken when I found out what he was."

"You could have come to me. I would have helped you go through this. But you just built walls around you. You didn't let anyone get close to you again."

"I don't know who I can trust, Nikola. To be completely honest, I don't even know what my feelings for you are. And I am too afraid to try to find out. A doctor must never fall in love with one of her patients. Because if she does…"

He covered the distance between them in a few seconds and let his finger caress her lips. "Shhh…" he said softly, stopping her from saying anything, and then took her in his arms.

"Nikola, what are you doing?" she asked him in a small voice.

"Something I should have done long time ago." He replied shortly. He didn't have time to talk; he had more important things to do. He pressed his lips on hers, expecting that she would push him away. But she didn't. Instead, she let her fingers play with his messed up hair, pulling him even deeper into their kiss. Letting her fully enjoy the expert touch of his lips, he persuaded her to open the mouth with a soft moan. Her heart was beating so loud that she couldn't hear that her brain was trying to tell her that she was making a big mistake. For the first time in 92 years, Helen Magnus was refusing to think. After all, letting your feelings take over from time to time could be unexpectedly rewarding sometimes.


	6. Shadows and Denial

He watched her as she was running another test on his blood, hoping to find something useful. But it was in vain. She had been trying to find a solution for two weeks now, but there just was something that didn't work. A solution she failed to see.

Watching her made his heart beat twice faster than usually. He let his eyes feast with the sight of her perfect silhouette, from those tantalizing long legs to the sweet lips he had had the luck to taste two weeks ago. Nikola smiled when he remembered their previous kiss. She may have denied her feelings afterwards, she may have said that she had been confused, but this didn't change the fact that he now knew that she was in love with him. Knowing her, he didn't think he will get another kiss from her in this century, but it was surely worth the waiting.

"Can I do anything to help you, my dear?" he asked after a long time.

She winced when she heard his question. The previous two weeks were the hardest of her life. She had thought that denying her feelings for him was hard even before they had kissed. But denying them afterwards was almost impossible. She didn't have a clue how she had been able to do it, given the fact that every time she saw him she felt the burning desire of kissing him again. Especially that she now knew that her feelings for him were mutual. But they had a job to do. They had to end the war, and they didn't have time for letting their feelings take over. What was worse was that she had known what may happen if she accepts to work with him. And a very big part of her wanted it to happen. Even since the time they were part of The Five, this man had completely fascinated her, in a way John never did. As a matter of fact, he was the only one that could make her heart stop with a single smirk, the only man who managed to stay in her dreams for that many years. And those dreams were not the type of dreams that a lady was supposed to have about someone who was nothing more than a coworker.

"What are you thinking about, Helen?" he asked. "Your mind seems to be elsewhere."

"I'm sorry. I was trying to figure out a solution."

"You know, for a second, I thought that you were thinking about…"

"About what?" she asked with a raised tone, just to make sure he won't say anything about what had happened two weeks ago.

"About the… little moment we shared." He said smirking.

"I thought we agreed we won't talk about this."

"Well, we don't necessarily need to talk. There are other ways of saying what you feel besides words. And I have to say you are…well…insanely good at using them from what I've seen."

"Can we please try to focus on our work?"

"So, what seems to be the problem?"

"It's not working. I've been trying to figure out how to select the specific gene we need, but I came up empty. Vampire blood is extremely complicated."

"I don't know if I'm supposed to take that as a compliment."

"On the other hand, I don't like simple things. They are not at all challenging. But this doesn't change the fact that I have no clue how to isolate that gene and transplant it. Unless…"

"Unless…?"

"Unless we use a restriction endonuclease and selective protein inhibitors…"

"My God, you are irresistible every second of your life, but it is nothing compared to how hot you are when you talk geek."

"And the most important thing is that I am right. I am going to tell Dr. Kurtenauer the good news."

"Can't you let him find out on his own?"

"He asked us to tell him how it is working."

Nikola scoffed silently. "Honestly, Helen, you've been working on this for two weeks. Don't you think you deserve a break?"

"Maybe, but I will take it after I am done with all of this."

"Are you sure? Because I can make you relax in two seconds. I could get you a cup of Earl Grey, give you a nice massage, and then…who knows where will get?"

Her heart started beating faster when she thought at what wonders those long and elegant fingers could do. But she knew that if she accepted, she wouldn't have been able to stop herself from going a lot further.

"I will have to refuse." She said, trying to maintain a neutral tone and then she left, leaving him alone in his laboratory.

When she entered Kurtenauer's office, he was looking anxious, as if he was eagerly waiting something.

"How is it going?" he asked.

"Fine. I've found a solution to transfer the blood safely. It should work."

"Good. Because they started pushing me. I don't like being pushed. They think that because I am young, they can give me orders."

He had a strange look on his face, a look that expressed anger, or fear, or maybe both. Helen didn't fail to notice that.

"They?" she asked.

"The Army, Mr. Roosevelt…" Kurtenauer replied, trying to calm himself down. However, Helen had never seen him so frightened before.

"Knowing Frank, he doesn't seem the type that kills you if you don't get his job done. He may get in a bad mood, but that's all." She said, trying to calm him.

"Yes, yes. You are probably right. I'm sorry. On the other hand, I want to talk to you about something."

"I'm listening."

"Leave the project while you still can."

"What do you mean? Now, when we are almost done?"

"This is exactly the problem. You have to quit this experiment. I'll find you an excuse, just go."

"I'm afraid I don't understand, Dr. Kurtenauer."

"You can't continue to work with Tesla."

"I know how you feel about him, but this is ridiculous. I mean, I get that you two share an unpleasant past, but I assure you, he is not a threat. Not to me, not to you, not to anyone."

"Helen…He is a vampire, a monster! If you work with him… Well, people will start to think that you are…"

"…a monster too? Is this what you are trying to tell me?"

"Well, I was going to be more subtle, but yes, this is the point."

"I don't understand why you are so worried. I mean, few know about his condition. Most people think that he is a brilliant inventor and that's all."

"Yes, but if it comes out, I mean, think a little. The US army, making a deal with monsters? Just imagine the chaos this will bring."

"This is exactly why we try to keep this secret. And it worked."

"Until now."

"Dr. Kurtenauer, do you have any idea that the vampires once ruled the Earth? And now, nobody remembers this anymore. I am doing my best that people don't find out about Abnormals and I've managed to keep this secret for almost a century now. You have nothing to worry about. And Nikola…well, he may be a vampire, but I don't see him like that. I see him exactly as he is: a brilliant scientist, eager to discover all the secrets that surround us. When working in my field, you start to see the person and not the Abnormal. And Nikola may be arrogant and stubborn, but deep down he is a great man."

"A man that you have fallen in love with." Kurtenauer muttered.

"I'm sorry, Dr., but you can't even begin to understand how complicated our relationship is."

"Do you at least know how you feel for him?"

"All I know is that he is the only man that was able to make me smile when I went through the toughest months of my life. We share a history together, literally. I was once so hurt by a man that I was sure I won't ever be able to fall in love again. Nikola…was the one who proved me how wrong I was."

"That man who hurt you…was he human?"

"I don't see the point in answering you this question, Dr. He was a murderer. The rest is of no importance."

"Just as I thought. And you still think you can trust these…monsters?"

"Dr. Kurtenauer, I would prefer you stop using this word. I don't like the sound of it. As I told you before, the fact that me and Nikola are…special is of no importance. Mr. Roosevelt trusts us both and we will do our best to carry on this experiment.

"I don't doubt that. The question is: do you love him enough to stay by his side even if something goes wrong?"

"Dr. Kurtenauer, why are you so pessimist? Everything will work just fine, I guarantee you that."

"So you are not leaving?"

"Not at all."

"If this is your final call, I will tell Mr. Roosevelt that we can run a full scale experiment next week. Alright?"

"Make it two weeks. I need to make sure that the serum has no side effects before we can start."


	7. Sabotage

**This is it guys! I hope you'll like it! There will be only two more chapters after this one*sobs*. As usually, thank you for all your great reviews!**

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It was a chilly day of March and it was raining heavily. In the previous two weeks, Helen and Nikola had been experimenting with the serum and the invisibility device on lab rats and it had all worked perfectly, so they decided to carry on a full scale experiment.

So there they were that day, both aboard the ship they were supposed to make invisible, rechecking everything one more time before they started.

"Would you please remind me why you didn't let me bring an umbrella, Nikola? I don't appreciate being soaking wet."

He smiled mischievously. "I am afraid we don't feel the same way here. Because you see, I can't say I mind seeing you all wet."

"I knew it! The whole "don't bring your umbrella" thing was just one of your stupid tricks."

He threw her an offended look and scoffed silently. "Seriously, Helen, why are you so ready to think the worst of me? I told you not to bring your umbrella because we will be working with an extremely powerful magnetic field. Any metal objects around it may cause damages. That's all. Besides, I can get you all wet in so many other ways… If only you would let me try…"

As much as she tried, Helen couldn't help her mind dwelling into a little gutter when she heard his words. To be completely honest with herself, she didn't mind him all wet either. And even if she blamed herself for having this kind of thoughts, she was pretty sure that he knew a much more pleasant way to get her all wet than not allowing her to bring her umbrella. And the worst thing was that for a moment she had been considering it. For God's sake, what was about this man that she found it so hard to resist him? How come he was able to make her feel like a schoolgirl with a single smile?

"Can we please start?" she asked, trying to find something to get her mind out of the gutter.

"I said no metal objects. That goes for your necklace too."

The words came out of her mouth before she could stop them. "Take it off." She said.

It was just what he had expected. In less than a second, he was behind her, his long, elegant fingers touching her neck. He buried his face into her wet hair and inhaled deeply, leaving the smell of rain and roses take over him. He deliberately took his time taking off her necklace, allowing each inch of the soft skin of her neck enjoy the presence of his fingers. When he finally took it off, he carefully placed it in her hand, and smiled devilishly. "Honestly, Helen, you should really see a doctor. Your blood pressure is way higher than normal."

"I don't know what you are talking about." She lied, hating him for his vampiric senses.

"You were never a good liar, Helen. We both know what you want the most right now."

"You are now telepathic too?" she asked with an ironic tone.

"I don't need to be. It is so obvious that you are attracted to me so badly you are merely able to resist the temptation of kissing me again."

"Can we please start the experiment?" she asked, refusing to admit how right he was.

"Not yet. I have to check those rats one more time."

"Nikola, we have been keeping them under surveillance for the last two weeks. They are fine. I don't know why you don't trust me."

"I trust you with my life, Helen. This is not about you. I just have a bad feeling about this, that's all."

"Why?"

"Well, for example, do you know where Emil is?"

"No."

"Exactly. Ever since you came up with the solution, he has been staying locked up in his quarters, without saying anything. I have known him long enough to know that there is something wrong with him."

"You are too suspicious."

"Maybe, but can we please check those rats one more time?"

"If you insist…"

They got to their laboratory aboard the ship and checked the rats' cage one more time. They seemed to be just fine. A little anxious, but apart from that, everything was alright with them.

"See? I told you there is nothing wrong with them."

"Let me try one more thing."

He turned one the miniature device they had used to turn them invisible and connected it to their cage. Just as the previous times, they turned invisible and remained this way until he shut down the device.

"Happy?" Helen asked.

"Yeah. I think so. Odd. My intuition never failed until today."

Just as they exited the laboratory, the rats' cage began sizzling and the rats' inside turned invisible again, even if the device was turned off. When they got back to the visible mode, they took fire, causing them to turn into a pile of ashes.

"I hate being right." Nikola said.

"I don't understand. We experimented on them countless times and this never happened. I can't believe I was so wrong about the serum. I was sure it will work."

"It did. I don't think it's your fault."

"What do you mean?"

"I think we have been sabotaged."

"By whom?"

"Who do you think?"

"Oh, come on. Kurtenauer? That's silly."

"You see, Helen, this is the problem with you. You trust people too much. I am sure he sabotaged the experiment."

"But he was so determined to see it working. Why would he do something like that? Unless…"

"Unless what?"

"He asked me to leave this project two weeks ago. After I refused, he asked me if I was ready to stand by you no matter what."

"What did you tell him?"

"That you are my friend and that we are in this together. But this makes me think. What if you are right and he has a crush on me? What if he wanted to sabotage your work and this is why he asked me to leave?"

"You know, you may be on to something here. Anyway, we have to stop him before he injects the serum to the crew."

"I am afraid I can't let you do that." Kurtenauer said, appearing from nowhere and holding a gun at Helen's forehead. Wanting to protect her, Nikola turned into a vampire and prepared to attack Kurtenauer.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Nikola. I know you are fast, but I doubt you are faster than a bullet. And maybe you can be shot, but she will die if I shoot her. And you don't want this to happen, do you?"

"Don't listen to him, Nikola. Kill him."

"I'm sorry, Helen. I can't risk your life." He said, hiding his claws.

"I am going to ask you one more time, Helen. Are you sure you want to stay by this monster's side? Because you and I could really have a future together. I know you are older than me, but I don't mind it too much. And the ones I work for don't have to find the truth about you." Still holding the gun at her, he forced her to turn her face to him and forcibly kissed her on the mouth. Struggling to break free, she punched him in the face, causing his nose to bleed heavily.

"I already told you. I love him."

"I was afraid you would say that." Kurtenauer said and shot Nikola with a tranquilizer, putting him to sleep. "So be it. If you want to go down with him, I won't stop you."


	8. Race Against Time

**This is it, guys! My last but one chapter! Hope you'll like it!**

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Nikola woke up from his sleep and tried to move, but soon discovered that this wasn't so easy, as he was tied up. He looked around the room Kurtenauer had left him and discovered that Helen was tied up too but she was still asleep.

"Wake up, sleepy head." He said.

Struggling to keep her eyes open, she turned her face to him and gave him a sad smile.

"I guess he shot me too." She said.

"So it seems. We have to get out of here."

"Can you untie me?"

"Anything for you, my dear." He said smirking and Helen rolled her eyes. That man was completely incorrigible. Even if they were in a race against time to stop Kurtenauer, he simply couldn't help hitting on her. He moved slowly towards her, trying to reach the rope she was tied up with.

"Not _that _way_, _Nikola!" she said, trying to give him the good direction and struggling to break free at the same time.

"I know what I'm doing here, could you please trust me for once?"

"You are doing it wrong." She protested as his claws tried to cut the rope. They both struggled to untie their hands but she tripped and fell, soon followed by him, so they both ended on the floor, millimeters close from each other.

"Irony is I hated Kurtenauer." He said smirking. "But I have to say I am very grateful to him for bringing us in this position."

"You were trying to untie me, remember?"

"Yeah. Too bad I am tied up too. This would have been a lot more interesting if you had been the only one tied up… But I can fix that." Using his claws, he finally managed to cut the rope he was tied up with. He stood atop her, letting one of his now free hands to play with one of her black curls.

She sighed heavily, trying not to show how much she enjoyed him being so close to her. In the last month, she had been in this kind of situations a lot more often than she was supposed to. And she couldn't say she minded it too much sadly.

"Will you _please _untie me? _Today_?"

He licked his lips, trying to determine if listening to her was the best thing he could do, because his heart told him that he could do more important things before that. He leaned down to her, keeping his lips inches away from hers, making her mind almost lose control. She only had to reach out a little and their lips would have made the contact they had both been dreaming about since their previous kiss. But somehow she managed to resist this temptation. When he saw that she wasn't going to do anything, he sighed and placed a soft kiss on her neck. As much as she tried, she couldn't help an almost inaudible moan escape her throat as she felt his hot lips exploring her neck. He smirked at that and finally untied her, offering his hand to help her get on her feet.

"It's about time." She said, trying to look angry. "Let's go and stop that idiot."

"About that…Was I dreaming or you told him that you love me?"

"You were dreaming." She muttered, not very convincingly.

"It is a very interesting thing that your pulse increases every time you lie to me."

"How are we going to stop Kurtenauer?" she asked, ignoring his last statement.

"Well, he probably injected the serum to the others by now."

"Yes, but from what we've seen on the rats, this doesn't do them any harm until you activate the invisibility device."

"Precisely."

"So we just have to stop the device and everything will be alright."

"I don't know about this, Helen. You know I've been against this project from day one. I didn't want to tell you until now, but I doubt that if it works it will be used to help humanity."

"Frank is not that bad."

"I didn't say he is. But it's in human nature. They are weak and if you give them power, they use it in the wrong way."

"Why did you accept working at this project then?"

"I wasn't sure it is something wrong at that time. Plus, I wouldn't have missed an opportunity like that. Working with you… Which brings me to another question: did you know you were probably going to work with me when you accepted?"

"We've known each other for almost 60 years and you still expect me to answer this question?"

"Right. My mistake."

"If I come to think about it, you are probably right. We have to stop this experiment once and for all."

They both got on the deck, where Nikola's device for invisibility was already turned on.

"We are too late." Helen said.

"Not quite. It takes time to build a magnetic field big enough to cover the whole ship. We still have time to stop it."

"But I won't let you do that." Kurtenauer said.

"Why are you doing this, Emil?" Nikola asked. "This is not you. You've always been an idiot, but this is too much, even for you."

"Because I love this world. But what has come of it in these days disgusts me. The president of the most powerful nation on Earth makes deals with monsters, with creatures of the darkness, and everybody thinks that life is peachy. Well, it isn't! And I'm going to show them that. Not many know of my participation on this project. And if everybody finds out that the project you directed went wrong and what you really are, they will realize that monsters and humans can never live together and they will exterminate you."

"Is this what it's all about? Starting a witch hunt?"

"A witch hunt? We have all the reasons to fight you."

"You don't know what happened last time when humans tried to take the lead."

"Why don't you tell me?"

"The Dark Ages. Trust me, there has to be a balance between the human world and the Abnormal one."

"I am sorry, Helen, but I can't trust you. You are on the enemy's side."

"Then I will have to do this." She said, taking out a gun and pointing it to Kurtenauer.

"You had more than one weapon?" he asked surprised. "I took one of them when I tied you."

"Of course she had, you idiot! She's Helen Magnus!" Nikola said amused. "My God, you really have to learn more about her. Too bad you won't live enough to do it."

"Dr. Kurtenauer, step away from the device. Slowly." She urged, still pointing the gun at him.

"If you wish…"

He stepped away slowly, but he tried to take out his own gun and shoot Helen. However, Nikola was much faster than him. In less than a second, he covered the distance between them and knocked him down, making him drop his weapon. Nikola jumped on him and punched him in the face, rendering him unconscious.

"This," he said, "is for kissing Helen without asking her permission". "And this is for threatening her life."He let his claws grow, preparing to give him the final blow, but she stopped him.

"That would be quite enough, Nikola." She said. "He doesn't deserve this."

"You are probably right." He said, returning to his human form.

Meanwhile, a green fog had started to spread over the deck, making the two worried.

"What is this?"

"My device. It's working."

"How do we stop it?"

"The two coils must not be synchronized." Nikola said and created a lightning that struck one of the coils, short-circuiting it. The other coil started humming and sizzling and finally went off too, causing the green fog to disappear.

Two hours later, when Roosevelt arrived to see how everything was going, he was surprised to see them waiting in the harbor, with the device still smoking on the ship.

"What happened here?" he asked.

"I am sorry, Sir. We did our best. It didn't work." Helen said.

"And I am sorry to say that I have other projects I have to work on. I am forced to resign. I am sure you'll find someone to continue my work." Nikola said.

"What about Kurtenauer?"

"Oh, he…let's just say that the stress drove him crazy."Helen said.

"Helen Magnus, what are you hiding from me?" Roosevelt asked.

"Nothing. I am telling you the truth."

"And I guess this is the only version of the _truth_ I will ever hear from you, isn't it?"

"Yes."

"Teddy warned me about you. I should have listened. How do you explain the green fog the crew claims to have seen?"

"Meteorological disturbances that had absolutely nothing to do with our experiment."

"I thought you'd say that. So, I guess I can count on you about the other mission, right?"

"Yes."

"Good. See you on Wednesday then." Mr. Roosevelt said and then left.

"What was that all about?" Nikola asked when they were alone.

"I am going on a mission for the Allies. I have to leave tomorrow night, but I can't tell you anything about it. It's top secret."

"Alright. So I guess it's goodbye then, right?"

"Yes."

"One more thing: what was all that stuff about meteorological disturbances? You didn't actually think that he'd believe you, did you?"

"Nikola, why did the Titanic sink?"

"I don't see the connection, but everyone knows that it hit an iceberg."

She smirked at him. "Keep telling that to yourself, honey." She said.

"_Honey_? What do you want to say?" he asked, unable to believe his ears.

Before she could stop them, her arms encircled his body, pulling him closer to her. She couldn't leave like that; she just had to do it. She leaned closer to him and placed a short kiss on the corner of his mouth and then used everything that was left of her will to let him go.

"Goodbye, Nikola." She whispered and then she left.


	9. Strictly Professional

**This is it girls...The end *sobs*. Anyway, thank you for waiting so much for it and I'll hope you'll like it!**

* * *

Nikola had been waiting for three hours on the platform of the Philadelphia train station and the time was half past eleven in the evening. So many times he had wanted to give up and go home, but something inside him told him that he had to wait a little more. _There is no train scheduled to leave at this hour, you idiot! She probably left hours ago and you are standing here, waiting for her!_ His rational thought told him. But then again, since he had met her, he didn't listen to his rational thought as often as before. And certainly not when it told him to forget Helen. She had taught him to believe in the unbelievable. Maybe that was why he thought that they could have a future together. He had always tried to think rationally and not to listen to his heart, but she managed to make him forget this decision the first time she had smiled to him. It had been love at first sight for him. And now, when he had had the opportunity to work with her again after so many years, he was sure that he'll never forget her. Not when the taste of her lips had imprinted upon his brain and certainly not when he now hoped more than ever that she had feelings for him.

She entered the railway station at 11:45. Her heart was drowning in grief. The previous month had been both the most pleasant and the most awful in her life. She had enjoyed working with him more than anything, but she knew that they had to be just friends. It was for their good. Her life was already too dangerous; going into missions for the Allies, working at the Sanctuary to find means for stopping the war… Not to mention that there were organizations that wanted them both dead, so being together would have been dangerous for both of them. She couldn't put him in danger.

She blamed herself for accepting to work with him. She had known that they would get to kiss the minute she saw him after so many years. And she had wanted this to happen much earlier. The truth was that she had always had feelings for him. They were only friends at first, but then, when John had betrayed her, he had been her shoulder to cry on. And he would have been much more helpful if she had given him the chance. But the thought that she could fall in love with another one of the Five so soon after what had happened with John frightened her. So she had decided to break up with him and to run from England. Of course, after that, they had begun to write to each other, but she had been always careful to hide her feelings from him. This was the best thing she could have done.

When she entered the platform, she was the one that spotted him first. She thought she was dreaming at first, that it wasn't him, but she would have recognized that ruffled hair anywhere. _Damn he's hot._ She thought, forgetting her manners for a second to her own disgust. Her first thought was too jump in his arms and suffocate him with her kisses. But that wasn't her. Her second thought was to pretend she hadn't seen him and hide until the train would have arrived. But the temptation was too big. So she finally decided to greet him, have a friendly chat with him, maybe convince him that he was nothing more than a friend to her and then leave.

His look was contemplating the structure of the platform when he saw her. She was wearing a long, white dress; her raven hair falling like a waterfall on her otherwise naked shoulders. She was definitely the woman of his dreams. Or at least she would have been if his vampire condition wouldn't have stopped him from sleeping. But this didn't change the fact that she was the only one that had managed to stay in his thoughts for half a century. When it was too hard for both of them to pretend that they hadn't seen the other, he opened his arms, waiting for her hug.

"What are you doing here, Nikola?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

"Waiting for you, obviously. I wanted the chance to get a proper goodbye."

"How did you know when is my train leaving? This is classified."

"I didn't. To be completely honest, I have been waiting for you since 9 o'clock. My instincts told me that you'll eventually come. Of course, I didn't know when you will be here, or if you will be here, but…"

She interrupted his words by encircling him with his arms, her head nestling on one of his shoulders. "I am glad you came." She whispered. "Nothing else matters."

He grinned mischievously. "Well, _honey_, if this is your way of thanking me for coming, I have to say that I am glad I came too." He deliberately used the name she had given him two days before, just to tease her a bit.

She released him from her grip and stepped away from him. "Nikola, since you came, we have to talk. I have to explain my actions in the past month to you, because I don't want you to be left with a false impression."

"Since this is our goodbye, I wouldn't waste my time talking, but I'll listen to what you have to say."

"Nikola, we have to remain friends. Friends and nothing more. Not that I don't have feelings for you, but…"

"You _do_ have feelings for me." his smirk was the sexiest one she had seen in 90 years.

"That's not the point here!" she yelled, trying to keep herself focused. "Our relationship has to be strictly professional."

"So what happened back then in the laboratory…"

"…Was great, but it wasn't…" she started, bringing her lips inches close to his.

"…Professional." He ended her thought. "It's alright. I understand."

"You do?" Her lips were still impossibly close to his.

"I think so. And tell me, Miss Magnus, what is your idea of _professionalism_?"

This time she was the one that grinned mischievously at him. She took his face in her hands and crushed her lips to his. His mouth gladly welcomed hers and their lips started a passionate duel, each of them equally wanting to win and lose at the same time. He laid her on the back, his lips devouring hers. His right hand was at the small of her back, while his left one was exploring her soft curves. She let her fingers slide through his ruffled hair and down on his back, causing him to groan lowly. She gasped as his tongue invaded her mouth, making her pulse reach a completely unhealthy value. Her blood was rushing through her veins at the speed of light and each pore of her skin was aware of his presence. She moaned with endless pleasure as his electricity flooded her body, tickling her and causing her to completely lose her mind. If there had still been a part of her that regretted doing this, Nikola's last move clearly killed that part. When their lips parted, minutes later, they were both breathless. The train she was supposed to get into had already arrived.

"Well, that was…I just don't know what to say." He said, out of words for the first time in his life.

"I think _professional_ is a proper word, Mr. Tesla."

"I don't know…Maybe if we do it again I will be able to give you a proper diagnostic."

"I have to go, Nikola. I'm sorry." She said.

"I guess it's really goodbye then…Are you sure? I mean, I could come with you."

"You know I wouldn't let you put your life in danger for me."

"What if I want to? Helen, I am immortal."

"You aren't. The church people killed your kind somehow."

"I know how to take care of myself."

"I'm sorry, Nikola, but I am not going to take that risk. Please don't forget me."

"After that kiss? Are you kidding me?"

She smiled sadly at him and got into the train which left as soon as she was aboard. He watched the train as it was leaving, her taste still lingering on his lips. Maybe he had had to wait half a century for that kiss, but it was surely worth the waiting. Because he now knew that they would end up together. Maybe in a year, or a decade, or even a century, but they were just meant to be.

As the train left the station, the same thoughts passed her mind. Even if she was sad that she had to leave, she smiled to herself, now completely aware of the fact that if there was a word that could describe Nikola Tesla's kissing skills, _professional _was certainly that word.


End file.
